Corbin Bernsen | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bernsen at the 2025Tribeca Festival | |
| Born | Corbin Dean Bernsen (1954-09-07)September 7, 1954 (age 71) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Education | University of California, Los Angeles (BFA,MFA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Known for | LA Law LA Law: The Movie Major League Psych Psych: The Movie |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4 |
| Parents |
|
Corbin Dean Bernsen (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor and film director. He appeared as divorce attorney Arnold Becker on theNBC drama seriesL.A. Law,[1] as Dr. Alan Feinstone inThe Dentist, as retired police detective Henry Spencer on theUSA Networkcomedy-drama seriesPsych, and as Roger Dorn in the filmsMajor League,Major League II, andMajor League: Back to the Minors. He also appeared regularly onThe Resident,The Curse,General Hospital, andCuts, and has had intermittent appearances onThe Young and the Restless.
Bernsen was born inNorth Hollywood, the eldest son of producer Harry Bernsen Jr. and soap actressJeanne Cooper.[1][2] He graduated fromBeverly Hills High School in 1972.[3] Bernsen is also a "doubleBruin", having received both aBA in Theatre Arts in 1977 and an MFA in Playwriting in 1979 fromUCLA.[4][5]
After a two-year appearance on the soap operaRyan's Hope,[1] Bernsen was cast as lawyer Arnold Becker on theSteven Bochco television seriesL.A. Law in 1986.[6] The series became a hit, and the role earned himEmmy andGolden Globe nominations, appearances on magazine covers, and guest-starring roles onSeinfeld andThe Larry Sanders Show.[7][8][1][9] He remained onL.A. Law for the entire run of the show, until it ended in 1994. He played the lead role in the two-season,NASA-themed seriesThe Cape in 1996–97.
Bernsen appeared with British actorBruce Payne in the filmsKounterfeit andAurora: Operation Intercept.[10][11] He starred as the title character, Dr. Alan Feinstone, in the horror filmThe Dentist and its sequel.[12][13] Bernsen was also cast asprima donna third baseman Roger Dorn in the sports comedyMajor League and appeared in both of the film's sequels. Bernsen portrayedJohn Durant onGeneral Hospital from September 2004 until the character was murdered in May 2006.
Bernsen played Jack Sherwood onCuts, appeared twice onCelebrity Mole, and played a lawyer onBoston Legal. He appeared as another Q onStar Trek: The Next Generation. He also had a recurring role as Captain Owen Sebring on the military drama[7]JAG and played aRepublican senator in two episodes ofThe West Wing. He directed, produced, and appeared in the horror filmDead Air. Bernsen also co-starred inUSA'sPsych, playing the role of Henry Spencer, the father of the main character,Shawn Spencer (James Roday). In the filmRust, Bernsen plays a former minister who returns to his hometown.
Bernsen appeared in25 Hill, a film he produced, directed and wrote, which is centered on theAll-American Soap Box Derby, and at one time was planning a baseball movie aboutzombies, calledThree Strikes, You're Dead.[14]
He also appeared as a guest star in one episode ofSwitched at Birth, theABC Family television series.[15] Bernsen currently appears as Kyle Nevin on the television seriesThe Resident.[16]
Bernsen was president and co-owner ofPublic Media Works, anew media company that develops entertainment for targetedfan bases.[17] He directed and starred inCarpool Guy, the company's first film; it was targeted atsoap opera fans and released on DVD in 2005.[18]
Bernsen then went on to formTeam Cherokee Productions. According to the bookOne Red Paperclip, in June 2006, Bernsen traded a role in the filmDonna on Demand to Kyle MacDonald for a snow globe of the bandKISS. It was this role that MacDonald eventually traded for a two-story farmhouse.[19]
In recent years, Bernsen focused on stories that explore aspects of Christian faith in today's world and how that can contribute to, but also tends to divide our common humanity. His first such film wasRust, released in 2010 bySony Pictures.[20] Bernsen, along with producing partnerChris Aronoff, formedHome Theater Films, an independentproduction company that develops, produces, and markets films and television shows.[21]25 Hill, the company's first title, was released in July 2012.[22] This was followed by3 Day Test (2012),Beyond the Heavens (2013), andLife with Dog (2017). Their filmMary 4 Mayor was due out in the fall of 2020.[23]
In October 2015, the Pelican Book Group released Bernsen's debut novel. The book,Rust: the Novel, is an adaptation of Bernsen's 2010 feature film,Rust, in which he played the main character and served as writer and director.[24] Bernsen and his wife, Amanda Pays, have co-authored two books,Change Houses, Not Spouses andOpen House: Reinventing Space for Simple Living, a coffee table book featuring remodeling and design ideas they have learned from remodeling their own homes.[25]
Bernsen was married to Brenda Cooper from 1983 to 1987.[26][27][28] Bernsen has been married to British actressAmanda Pays since 1988.[29] They have four sons: Oliver, Angus, Henry, and Finley.[30][31] Pays and Bernsen moved to the Hudson Valley in upstate New York in 2019 where he now focuses on film and television projects that can be shot locally.
Bernsen has one of the largestsnow globe collections in the world, with over 8,000 globes.[32] One notable globe in his collection is aKISS motorized snow globe, for which Kyle MacDonald traded him in exchange for a speaking role in the filmDonna on Demand. This was part of the famous "One Red Paperclip" series of trades, whereby MacDonald started with a red paperclip and ended with a farmhouse inSaskatchewan.[33]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Clambake | Roy | Uncredited |
| 1974 | Three the Hard Way | Boy | |
| 1976 | Eat My Dust! | Roy Puire | |
| King Kong | Reporter | Uncredited | |
| 1981 | S.O.B. | Surfer on Beach | |
| 1987 | Dead Aim | Webster | |
| Hello Again | Jason Chadman | ||
| 1989 | Bert Rigby, You're a Fool | Jim Shirley | |
| Major League | Roger Dorn | ||
| Disorganized Crime | Frank Salazar | ||
| 1991 | Shattered | Jeb Scott | |
| 1992 | Frozen Assets | Zach Shepard | |
| 1993 | Fatal Inheritance | Woodward Dawes | |
| Ghost Brigade | Col. Nehemiah Strayn | ||
| 1994 | The Soft Kill | Martin Lewis | |
| Bud Bowl V | Coach of TeamBud Light | ||
| A Brilliant Disguise | Dr. Martin | ||
| Trigger Fast | Brent Mallick | ||
| Final Mission | General Morgan Breslaw | ||
| Major League II | Roger Dorn | ||
| Savage Land | Quint | ||
| The New Age | Kevin Bulasky | ||
| Radioland Murders | Dexter Morris | ||
| 1995 | Someone to Die For | Jack Davis | |
| Cover Me | Andre Solloway | ||
| Aurora: Operation Intercept | Flight Engineer Murphy | ||
| Tales from the Hood | Duke Metger | ||
| Temptress | Nick | ||
| Baja | John Stone | ||
| 1996 | The Dentist | Dr. Alan Feinstone | |
| The Great White Hype | Peter Prince | ||
| Kounterfeit | Marty Hopkins | ||
| 1997 | An American Affair | Dist. Atty. Sam Brady / Sen. John Crawford | |
| Menno's Mind | Felix Medina | ||
| Spacejacked | Barnes | ||
| 1998 | The Fairy King of Ar | Rob Preston | |
| Major League: Back to the Minors | Roger Dorn | ||
| The Dentist 2 | Dr. Alan Feinstone | ||
| The Misadventures of Margaret | Art Turner | ||
| Kiss of a Stranger | Mason | ||
| 2000 | Rangers | The Senator | |
| Delicate Instruments | Sam Livingstone | ||
| 2001 | Borderline Normal | Benjiman Walling | |
| Apocalypse IV: Judgment | Mitch Kendrick | ||
| Rubbernecking | Mr. Jones | ||
| Final Payback | Mayor Richardson | ||
| Killer Instinct | Jennings Wilhite | ||
| Raptor | Dr. Hyde | ||
| 2002 | Fangs | Carl Hart | |
| The Tomorrow Man | Larry | ||
| Dead Above Ground | Mark Mallory | ||
| 2003 | The Commission | Rep. Gerald R. Ford | |
| The Company You Keep | Poindexter | ||
| 2004 | Nightmare Boulevard | Jerry Martin | |
| Death and Texas | Coach Loren Stanley | ||
| 2005 | Raging Sharks | Capt. Riley | |
| Kiss Kiss Bang Bang | Harlan Dexter | Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | |
| Carpool Guy | Michael | Also director and producer | |
| 2006 | Submission | Max | |
| The Naked Ape | Mr. Feldman | ||
| Paid | William Montague | ||
| Last Sunset | John Wayne | ||
| 2007 | Pirate Camp | Hookbeard | |
| 2008 | House of Fallen | Rowland | |
| 2009 | Donna on Demand | Ben Corbin | Also director |
| Dead Air | Dr. F | Also director | |
| Trapped | Edward Hutton | ||
| 2010 | Rust | James Moore | Also director, writer, and producer |
| Closets | Grant Erickson | ||
| Across the Line: The Exodus of Charlie Wright | FBI Director Hill | ||
| 2011 | 25 Hill | Roy Gibbs | Also director, writer, and producer |
| Bad Actress | Himself | ||
| Suing the Devil | Barry Polk | ||
| The Big Year | Gil Gordon | ||
| The Ascension | Carl | ||
| Pizza Man | Criswell | ||
| 2012 | Lay the Favorite | Jerry | |
| Lizzie | Dr. Fredricks | ||
| 3 Day Test | Tom | Also director and writer | |
| Gordon Family Tree | Ron Goodson | ||
| Beyond the Heavens | Gus Henry | ||
| 2014 | Fast Track | Liam Sterling | |
| Christian Mingle | Matt | Also director and writer | |
| The Last Straw | Mr. G. | ||
| 2015 | Midland | The Shepherd | Short film |
| God's Club | Max Graves | ||
| 2016 | Prayer Never Fails | Joseph T. Harrington | |
| Dead Man Rising | Buck | ||
| The Elvis Room | Harker | Short film | |
| In-Lawfully Yours | Father Grayson | Producer | |
| 2017 | Maximum Security | Price | |
| Boone: The Bounty Hunter | Cage Bickle | ||
| Distortion | Dr. Eli Sutton | ||
| My Daddy's in Heaven | Rick Adams | ||
| 2018 | Surviving Theater 9 | Tom | Short film |
| Reach | Charles | ||
| The Russian Bride [ru;es] | Karl Frederick | [34] | |
| Life with Dog | Joe Bigler | ||
| Alone We Fight | Colonel Bradley Armstrong | ||
| Eco-Teens Save the World! | Senator Jeremy Ryburn | ||
| 2019 | Faith, Hope & Love | Brian Fuller | |
| Swell | Harold | ||
| When We Last Spoke | Walt | ||
| Cadia: The World Within | George | ||
| All Good Things | Pop-Pop | ||
| Sensory Perception | Mr. Friedrich | ||
| Sunrise in Heaven | Jim | a.k.a.Forever Love | |
| 2020 | Connective Tissue | Dr. Epstein | Short film |
| Roe v. Wade | Harry Blackmun | ||
| First Lady | King Max | ||
| Mary for Mayor | Pat | ||
| A Deadly Legend | Matthias Leary | ||
| The Unseen Realm | Himself | [35] | |
| The Farmer and the Belle: Saving Santaland | Gran'Poppy | ||
| The Christmas Project 2 | Grandpa George | ||
| A Bennett Song Holiday | Aiden Neville | ||
| 2021 | Past Shadows | Lewis Samuels | |
| Weekend Warriors | Chief Baumgardner | ||
| The Hating Game | Bexley | ||
| 2022 | Game Changer | Iann Gabriel | |
| Repeater | Edgar Mann | ||
| 2023 | Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist | Steve Plank | |
| Herd | Robert Miller | ||
| Memory Box | Father (voice) | Short film | |
| Christmas at Keestone | Clint Baker | ||
| 2024 | The Beldham[36][37] | ||
| 2025 | Marshmallow | Roy | |
| Tow | Martin La Rosa |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Flying High | Dan Ellison | Episode: "It Was Just One of Those Days" |
| 1980 | The Waltons | Casey | Episode: "The Medal" |
| 1984–1985 | Ryan's Hope | Ken Graham | 5 episodes |
| 1986–1994 | L.A. Law | Arnie Becker | 171 episodes Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama(1989–90) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series(1987–88) |
| 1987 | Matlock | Himself | Episode: "The Network" |
| 1988 | Mickey's 60th Birthday | Arnie Becker | TV special |
| 1989 | Breaking Point | Pike | Television movie |
| 1990 | Saturday Night Live | Himself | Episode: "Corbin Bernsen/The Smithereens" |
| 1990 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Other Q (uncredited) | Episode: "Deja Q" |
| 1990 | Dear John | Blake McCarron | Episode: "Hole in One" |
| 1991 | Out of This World | Chad | Episode: "Evie Nightinggale" |
| 1991 | Line of Fire: The Morris Dees Story | Morris Dees | Television movie |
| 1991 | Dead on the Money | Carter Matthews | Television movie |
| 1992 | Grass Roots | Will Lee | Television movie |
| 1992 | Seinfeld | Himself | Episode: "The Trip: Part 1" |
| 1992 | Ring of the Musketeers [de] | Harry | Television movie |
| 1992 | Love Can Be Murder | Nick Peyton | Television movie |
| 1993 | The Larry Sanders Show | Himself | Episode: "The Stalker" |
| 1993 | Roc | Jim Larson | Episode: "The Millionaire Brother" |
| 1993 | Beyond Suspicion | Stan | Television movie |
| 1994 | Guns of Honor | Brent Mallick | Television movie |
| 1994 | The Nanny | Glen Mitchell | Episode: "Stock Tip" |
| 1994 | The Extraordinary | Himself (host) | |
| 1994 | I Know My Son Is Alive | Dr. Mark Elshant | Television movie |
| 1994 | Where Are My Children? | Tom Scott | Television movie |
| 1995 | Dangerous Intentions | Tim Williamson | Television movie |
| 1995 | A Whole New Ballgame | Brett Sooner | 7 episodes |
| 1995 | In the Heat of the Night | Frank Cole | Episode: "By Duty Bound" |
| 1995 | Tails You Live, Heads You're Dead | Neil Jones/Roy Francis Netter | Television movie |
| 1995 | Murderous Intent | Brice | Television movie |
| 1996 | Bloodhounds | Harrison Coyle | Television movie |
| 1996 | Murder on the Iditarod Trail | Alex Jensen | Television movie |
| 1996 | Inhumanoid | Foster Carver | Television movie |
| 1996 | Bloodhounds II | Harrison Coyle | Television movie |
| 1996 | Full Circle | Harrison Winslow | Television movie |
| 1996–1997 | The Cape | USAF Col. Henry 'Bull' Eckert | 17 episodes |
| 1997 | Touched by an Angel | Eric Weiss | Episode: "Angel of Death" |
| 1997 | Tidal Wave: No Escape | John Wahl | Television movie |
| 1998 | Loyal Opposition: Terror in the White House | Secret Service Agent John Gray | Television movie |
| 1998 | Riddler's Moon | George | Television movie |
| 1998 | Recipe for Revenge | Dr. Chester Winnifield | Television movie |
| 1998 | Young Hearts Unlimited | Brian | Television movie |
| 1999 | Tracey Takes On... | Jack Dayton | Episode: "Dating" |
| 1999 | 7th Heaven | Ted Grant | Episode: "Sometimes That's Just the Way It Is" |
| 1999 | Twice in a Lifetime | Roger Stovall/Bill Water | Episode: "Death and Taxes" |
| 1999 | Nash Bridges | Edward Jansen | Episode: "Trade Off" |
| 1999 | Two of Hearts | Bruce Saunders | Television movie |
| 1999–2004 | JAG | Captain Owen Sebring | 8 episodes |
| 2000 | Battery Park | Michael | Episode: "Rabbit Punch" |
| 2000 | The Outer Limits | Virgil Nygard | Episode: "Abaddon" |
| 2000 | Son of the Beach | Big Red Johnson | Episode: "Miso Honei" |
| 2000 | Beggars and Choosers | Sandy Peretz | Episode: "Killer Sushi" |
| 2000 | Yes, Dear | Gary Walden | Episode: "Jimmy Gets a Job" |
| 2000 | Baywatch | Barry Poe | Episode: "Ties That Bind" |
| 2001 | The West Wing | Henry Shallick | 2 episodes |
| 2001 | V.I.P. | Zack Henley | Episode: "Val in Carnation" |
| 2001 | Jack & Jill | Paul Barrett | 2 episodes |
| 2001 | Citizen Baines | Nicholas Tassler | Episode: "Three Days in November" |
| 2002 | The Weakest Link | Himself | Episode: "L.A. Law Edition" |
| 2002 | Gentle Ben | Fog Benson | Television movie |
| 2002 | L.A. Law: The Movie | Arnie Becker | Television movie |
| 2002 | Atomic Twister | Sheriff C. B. Bishop | Television movie |
| 2002 | I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus | David Carver | Television movie |
| 2002 | The Santa Trap | Chief Tom Spivak | Television movie |
| 2003 | Gentle Ben 2 | Fog Benson | Television movie |
| 2003 | Love Comes Softly | Ben Graham | Television movie |
| 2003 | Miss Match | Stu 'Dr. Love' Scott | Episode: "Divorce Happens" |
| 2003 | L.A. Dragnet | Richard Atkins | Episode: "All That Glitters" |
| 2003 | Celebrity Mole: Hawaii | Himself | 3 episodes |
| 2003 | Just Shoot Me! | Himself | Episode: "For the Last Time, I Do" |
| 2004 | Third Watch | Carter Savage | Episode: "Rat Bastard" |
| 2004 | NYPD Blue | Bob Cavanaugh | Episode: "I Love My Wives, But Oh You Kid" |
| 2004 | Celebrity Mole: Yucatan | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss | Steve | Television movie |
| 2004 | They Are Among Us | Norbert | Television movie |
| 2004–2017 | The Young and the Restless | Father Todd Williams | 22 episodes |
| 2004–2006 | General Hospital | John Durant | 5 episodes |
| 2005 | Palmetto Pointe | Old Ballplayer | Episode: "All That You Can't Leave Behind" |
| 2005 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | William Hendry | Episode: "Prisoner" |
| 2005 | Ordinary Miracles | David Woodbury | Television movie |
| 2005–2006 | Cuts | Jack Sherwood | 12 episodes |
| 2006 | Wheel of Fortune | Himself | Episode: "Soap Stars 4" |
| 2006 | Boston Legal | Eli Granger | Episode: "...There's Fire!" |
| 2006–2014 | Psych | Henry Spencer | 111 episodes |
| 2007 | Masters of Horror | Ira | Episode: "Right to Die" |
| 2008 | How Much Is Enough? | Host | 40 episodes |
| 2008 | Depth Charge | Captain Richards | Television movie |
| 2008 | Vipers | Burton | Television movie |
| 2008 | Confessions of a Go-Go Girl | Nick Harvey | Television movie |
| 2008 | For the Love of Grace | Captain Washington | Television movie |
| 2009 | The New Adventures of Old Christine | Howard | Episode: "For Love or Money" |
| 2010 | Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! | Himself | Episode: "Comedy" |
| 2011 | Castle | Lance Hastings | Episode: "One Life to Lose" |
| 2011 | Criminal Minds | Jerry Grandin | Episode: "Today I Do" |
| 2012 | Switched at Birth | James Wilkes Jr. | Episode: "Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time" |
| 2013 | The Glades | Michael Longworth | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | Hawaii Five-0 | Henry Upton | Episode: Kupouli 'la (Broken) |
| 2014 | Motive | Dr. Matthews | Episode: "Deception" |
| 2014 | Scorpion | Bob Connelly | Episode: "Shorthanded" |
| 2014 | The League | Bruce | Episode: "Man Land" |
| 2014 | Anger Management | Roger | Episode: "Charlie & The 100th Episode" |
| 2015 | Grace and Frankie | Dr. Paul Mason | Episode: "The Fall" |
| 2015 | NCIS: New Orleans | Navy Admiral Adam Huntley | Episode: "The Abyss" |
| 2015 | It Had to Be You | Nolan Powell | Television movie |
| 2017 | Powerless | Vanderveer Wayne Sr. | Episode: "Sinking Day" |
| 2017 | American Gods | Vulcan | Episode: "A Murder of Gods" |
| 2017 | Psych: The Movie | Henry Spencer | Television movie |
| 2018 | Hap and Leonard | Chief Cantuck | 4 episodes |
| 2018 | Billions | Bill McGann | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | The Kominsky Method | Himself | Episode: "Chapter 3: A Prostate Enlarges" |
| 2018–2021 | Magnum P.I. | Francis "Icepick" Hofstetler | 4 episodes |
| 2019–2022 | The Resident | Kyle Nevin | 15 episodes |
| 2019 | The Punisher | Anderson Schultz | 4 episodes |
| 2019 | Fresh Off the Boat | Mervin | Episode: "Help Unwanted?" |
| 2020 | Tommy | Milton Leakey | 4 episodes |
| 2020 | Psych 2: Lassie Come Home | Henry Spencer | Television movie |
| 2021 | Psych 3: This Is Gus | Henry Spencer | Television movie |
| 2022 | City on a Hill | Sinclair Dryden | 7 episodes |
| 2023 | East New York | Duke Jacobs | 2 episodes |
| 2023 | White House Plumbers | Richard Kleindienst | Episode: "The Writer's Wife" |
| 2023–2024 | The Curse | Paul | 4 episodes |
| 2024 | Clipped | Pierce O'Donnell | 3 episodes |
| 2025 | Your Friends & Neighbors | Jack Bailey | 4 episodes |
| 2025 | Duster | Wade Ellis | Recurring |
| † | Denotes series that have not yet been released |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
